heylman



(No Model.)

I I 2 $heetssheetv 1.

E. M. HEYLMAN'.

CORN PLANTER.

I No. 550,127. Patented Nov. 19,1895.

Fig.1.

AN DREW B.GRAHAM. PHOTO-Limb WASHINGTOR, 0.0.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWVARD M. I-IEYLMAN, OF CANTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE PARLIN & ORENDORFF COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

C ORN-PLANTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Iatent No. 550,127, dated November 19, 1895.

' Application filed August 3, 1895.: serial Nb. 558,116. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD M. HEYLMAN, of Canton, in the county of Fulton and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Corn-Planters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is designed to provide means for intermittently actuating the first-drop mechanism of planters by power developed by the travel of the wheels, while controlling the operation by knots on a check-row line or by a hand or foot lever. It is exemplified in the structure hereinafter described and it is de fined in the appended claims.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan of so much of a planter as is necessary to show the application of my device. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the bracket or frame that carries the greater part of the mechanism used in my improvement, and also showing the ratchet-wheel through which intermittent motion of the drop mechanism is produced. Fig. 3 is an elevation of the right side of the movement -t'. e., the mechanism directly employed in effecting the desired result. Fig. 4: is a similar view of the movement under different conditions. Fig. 5 is an elevation of the left side of the movement on sectional line X in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a detail representation of the ratchet-wheel and the pawl used to impel it, such representation being in the nature of a side elevation. Fig. 7 is a plan or edge view of the ratchet separate from other parts.

Corn-planters in common use have wheels that carry part of the weight while planting and all the weight while turning. The seedboXes are supplied with first-drop mechanism, usually in the form of rotating disks that measure off the number of grains required to be planted in each hill and drop the hills one after another into the shanks of the runners. Second-drop valves in the heels of the shanks retain the hills until the proper places for planting are successively reached, when they are opened and the corn released. Oheck'row lines having knots to determine the points of deposit are used, except for drilling or for planting short rows, a hand-lever operated by aboy on the planter or a footlever operated by the driver being sometimes used in the last-named operation. For a time the entire dropping mechanism was actuated by the check-row line. Subsequently the plan of driving the first-drop mechanism from the wheels of the planter, after the manner of drill ing, was largely adopted. In this instance the drop-plates are run continuously at a speed to approximately accumulate the number of grains required for a hill in the shanks of the planter in passing from one knot to another, and the second-drop valves only are opened by the action of the knots. This plan relieves the check-row line of much stress and is advantageous in that respect; but owing to slippage of wheels and other causes the number of grains supplied to the hills will vary to a greater extent than if an entire hill were dropped at once. By the use of this device the seed-plates will perform precisely the same operation between hills in every instance and the work of the check-row line will not be materially increased.

The details of a planter shown in connection with'the improvement are merely explanatory and advisory, as the invention may be adapted, with slight modifications in some instances, to any planter having the general features hereinbefore recited.

A shaft which in this instance is designed to carry pinions that mesh directly with teeth on the first-drop disks of the planter, but which may be connected in any known manner with any known form of seed-plate, is shown. at 1.

At 2 is shown a rock-shaft, commonly designated a check-row shaft, which is thrown in one direction by knots on a check-row line, or in some cases by a hand or foot lever, and is returned by a spring or other expedient.

At 3 is shown a cross=bar of the planterframe, which forms a support for the bracket of the movement.

A part of a horizontal check-row lever is shown at 5, and 4: is a rod that connects the lever with an arm on the rock-shaft.

At 6 is shown a seed bo'x which has'a seed disk subject to the operation of shaft 1, and also has a customary shank and runner and some form of second drop valve.

At 7 is shown an axle-shaft which is driven by one or both of the wheels. A sprocketwheel 8 is fixed or clutched onto the axle, and a chain 15 conveys motion from wheel 8 to sproeket-wheel 32 of the movement. The bracket 9 of the movement is fastened to cross-bar 3, and it has extensions 10 and 11 for purposes that will hereinafter appear. For mechanical reasons the bracket is recessed at 12, and a stud 13 extends from the recess and forms a journal-bearing for pinion 20. Sleeve ll extends from the bracket around shaft 1 and forms a journal-bearing for sprocket-wheel 32 and gear-wheel 19,

which are made in one piece or fastened together. A collar 16 is used to hold the sprocket-wheel and gear-wheel on the sleeve. Stud 15 forms a pivot for the detent 2S. Stud 16 forms a pivot for throw-out lever 26. Stud 17 forms a pivot for rock-arm 22. The studs are essential in indicating the points of connection of the respective parts with the bracket; but otherwise they are merely suggestive of a preferred way of forming the bearings. The parts are secured on the studs by bolts, nuts, and washers in an obvious manner.

Pinion 2O meshes with gear-wheel 19, and it has a crank-arm with which rock-arm 22 connects through red 21. The rock-arm is forked or otherwise widened, and the impelling-pawl 23 pivots thereon on the side opposite rod 21. The ratchet-wheel is preferably made as shown in Fig. 7. It is fixed on shaft 1 in line with pawl 23, and it is acted on by the pawl in the manner indicated and as will be hereinafter described. The continuous rotary motion developed in the pinion as the planter moves along is converted into oscillatory motion in rock-arm 22 and imparted to the pawl, and the natural tendency of the pawl is to rotate the ratchet intermittently at more or less regular intervals of about twenty-eight inches of planter travel and to actuate the first-drop mechanism at such times.

To slow up the movement so that it will operate but once while the planter is traveling from one cheek-row knot to another-a distance of from forty-four to forty-eight inches ordinarily--and to make sure that a complete operation will be performed between every pair of adjoining knots-i. e. between rows--it becomes necessary to control the action of the pawl on the ratchet-wheel. Broadly speaking, provision for such control comprises a throw-out that automatically holds the pawl from operative contact with the ratchet at the termination of each partial rotation of the ratchet-wheel and a trip actuated by the check-row shaft to relieve the engage the ratchet-wheel. Specific mechanism for this purpose consists of the throw-out lever 26, having a tooth 26 and a laterallyextended pin 27, a pin 24:, extending from the pawl and resting on the throw-out lever, the set of inclines 30 on a face of the ratchetwheel, the detent 28 to hold the throw-out lever raised, and the trip-fii'lger 29 on the check-row shaft to throw the detent and release the lever.

The inclines 3O combine to form a liftratchct the teeth of which correspond in number with the bars of ratchet-wheel 2f and bear a definite relation thereto. The detent has a seat 28 for the pin of the throwout lever, and also has an extension 2S in the path of trip-finger 29. A spring 31 tends to hold the detent in position to sustain the pin of the throw-out lGVOlL.

When the parts are in the relation shown 1 in Fig. 3, the pin of the pawl will ride up and down the inclined back of the throw-out lever, as indicated by dotted lines, and prevent operative contact ,between the pawl and the ratchet-wheel. \Vhen a check-row knot is encountered or when the rock-shaft is actuated by a hand or foot lever, trip-finger 29 will swing to the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4, striking extension 28 and forcing the detent from under the pin of the throw-out lever, when the lever will fall to the position shown in said figure and the trip-finger will resume its original position. Then the continuously-movin g pawl will, when at the extremity of its backward throw, engage a bar of the ratchet-wheel and by giving said wheel a partial rotation actuate the first-drop mechanism of the planter. As the ratchet-wheel turns, one of the inclines 30 acts on tooth 26 and raises the throw-out lever, and spring 31 forces the rest end of the detent under the pin of the throw-out lever as soon as the pin is sufiieiently raised by the action of the incline.

The movement is so geared that the pinion will make at least a rotation and a half while the planter is traveling from one knot to another, and if the pawl should barely miss catching a bar of the ratchet-wheel when the throw-out lever is tripped the pinion can make a complete rotation, bringing the pawl back to its engaging position, and still have time to actuate the dropping mechanism before another knot is reached.

The check-row shaft 2 should be connected with the second-drop valves in any suitable manner, so that the opening of the valves may occur simultaneous with the tripping of the throw-out lever.

The ratchet-wheel is preferably composed of a disk 25, a ring 25 and rods 25 interposed between the disk and the ring. The pawl is hooked to engage the rods of the wheel and is shaped to form a look at the termination of each throw, after the manner 1 indicated in Fi 6. throw-out lever and permit the pawl to re- 1 To enable the planter to be used as a drill,

the sproeket-wheel 32 is provided with a laterally-extended pin 17, and a cluteh-arm 18 is mounted shiftably 011 the drop-shaft 1. By setting the clutch-arm in contact with. the finger and supplying the seed-boxes with suit= able seed-plates the grain may be drilled at any required interval. In preparing for drilling it is advisable, to save wear of the movement, that connection between the movement and the then operative parts be broken.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. A drop movement for planters, comprising a ratchet Wheel, a ratchet-impelling pawl adapted to be driven continuously by travel of the planter, a throw-out lever to hold the pawl from operative contact with the ratchet wheel, a detent to sustain the raised throwout lever, and a trip to throw the detent, substantially as set forth.

2. A drop movementfor planters, comprising a ratchet Wheel, a ratchet-impelling pawl adapted to be driven continuously by travel of the planter, a throw-out lever to hold the pawl from operative contact with the ratchet wheel, a detent to sustain the raised throwout lever, a trip to throw the detent, and inclines on the ratchet wheel for raising the throw-out lever, substantially as set forth.

3. A drop movement for planters, comprising a wheel adapted to be driven continuously by travel of the planter, a crank arm on the wheel, a rock arm connected with the crank arm, a ratchet wheel, a ratchet-impelling pawl pivoted on the rock arm, a throw-out lever to hold the pawl from operative contact with the ratchet wheel, a detent to sustain the raised throw-out lever, a trip finger to throw the detent, and inclines on the ratchet wheel for raising the throw-out lever, substantially as set forth.

4. A drop movement for planters consisting in the combination of a ratchet wheel, a ratchet-impelling pawl adapted to be driven continuously by travel of the planter, and having a laterally extended pin, a throw-out lever extended under the path of the pin of the pawl, a pin extended laterally from the throw-out lever, a detent having a seat for the pin of the throw-out lever, and a trip to throw the detent, substantially as set forth.

5. In a drop movement for planters, the combination of ratchet wheel 25, the ratchetimpelling pawl 23 adapted to be driven continuously by travel of the planter, the throwout lever 26 having tooth 26 the inclines 30 vdetent 28 having the seat 28 and the extension 28, the trip finger 29 for throwing the detent, and a spring, as 31, for returning the detent, the pawl having a pin 24 extended over the throw-out lever, and the throw-out lever having a pin 27 adapted to the seat of the detent, substantially as set forth.

6. In a drop movement of the class described, the combination with a ratchet wheel and a planter-driven, ratchet-impelling pawl, of an incline adapted to be raised into the path of the pawl by the operative movement of the pawl and to be lowered by the action of check row mechanism, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I sign my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD M. HEYLMAN.

Attest:

F. D. WOLCOTT, W. H. PARLIN. 

